


Introduction to Chastity

by ContemporaryAmericanPoultry



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: BDSM, Cock Cages, Dominant Abed Nadir, Established Relationship, Face-Fucking, M/M, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Submissive Troy Barnes, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:54:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26440741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ContemporaryAmericanPoultry/pseuds/ContemporaryAmericanPoultry
Summary: Troy's suggestion that he and Abed try new things in bed leads him somewhere he never expected to be, but he soon finds out that he can't get enough of it.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 4
Kudos: 96





	Introduction to Chastity

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! My first Community fic, and it's... this. It's pretty fetish-heavy, so I recommend reading the tags carefully before proceeding, but it's all very loving and consensual.

“How about cowboys?”

Abed nodded slightly, his expression one of contemplation. “Go on,” he prompted.

“Well, this town’s not big enough for both of us, right? But instead of deciding who’s cooler with a shootout, we have… you know.” Troy grinned, making a suggestive gesture with both hands.

Abed gave him a quick eyebrow waggle, to indicate that he did know. “I like it. How about alien abduction?”

“Ooh, that’s good.” Troy tapped at his chin. “Wait… are we both aliens trying to abduct each other? Could we make that work?”

“Maybe… but I don’t know where the sex would come in.” Abed wrote a few lines down on his notepad, then threw his pencil down onto the table. “We’ve been doing this all day. I thought we’d have found it by now.”

Troy gazed down at the notepad, admiring Abed’s handwriting from the upside-down angle. “I’m starting to think the perfect way to spice things up doesn’t really exist. What if we just try some of these things and see what we like about them?”

“Sure,” Abed agreed, but he didn’t look up from the notepad. His fingers tapped at the pencil, as if he was trying to pick it up without anyone noticing.

Immediately recognizing the signs of nervousness, Troy leaned in. “Hey,” he softly said, “Everything okay?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” was the answer, and he sounded genuine enough. It just sounded like there was something Abed wasn’t saying.

“Come on, you can tell me,” Troy coaxed. Sure, he was curious to know, but that came second to making sure Abed knew he was genuinely safe from judgment. “If I’m not into it, we just won’t do it. We don’t have to talk about it again.”

The tension in Abed’s shoulders didn’t fully relax, but he did at least look up. “You know how I tie you up sometimes?”

Troy nodded, tongue involuntarily darting out for a split second to lick his lips. “Yeah?”

“Well, what do you like about that?”

“I guess…” Troy thought about it, though he tried not to think about it too much. But didn’t thinking about thinking about it also count as thinking about it, which meant that trying not to think about it too much _was_ thinking about it too much… His brain started to fold in on itself, and he stopped thinking at all. “I like that I can trust you to do that kind of stuff. I like knowing you wouldn’t just… hurt me, or use me, even if you totally could.

“And…” He instinctively looked down at the feeling of his cheeks warming up. “I guess I kind of like it when you decide what we’re doing. Most of the time, anyway.” He had officially crossed over into rambling territory, and Abed seemed to know that, but he didn’t stop him. “Like, not _major_ stuff. Just, I don’t know, when you pick what game we’re playing, and how we do it. That stuff.” Feeling like he had revealed more than he intended, he decided to push the conversation back the other way. “What’s it got to do with your idea?”

“You like being controlled.” Abed said it so mildly, with such a blank expression, that it almost didn’t sound dirty at all. “We can take that further. What if you couldn’t come until I decided it was okay?”

Troy blinked. “Don’t we already do that? I have to ask you before I do it, and then-“

“Not that,” Abed interrupted to clarify. “What I meant is, what if you _couldn’t?”_ He deepened the emphasis of the final word with a sweeping hand gesture. “It would need a lot of trust, more than anything we’ve done so far. I understand if you’d rather not.”

For a moment, Troy didn’t respond, absently chewing on his lip. He could definitely appreciate the risks of giving over so much control, but they all seemed bizarre and abstract to the actual situation. After all, it was _Abed._ Nothing in his brain could offer a logical reason not to trust Abed with any part of himself- he wouldn’t even _be_ himself without Abed to show him that there was nothing wrong with that.

Even after he was certain, he kept up the appearance of thinking about it, so Abed wouldn’t think Troy was just rushing into it to make him happy. “I’m interested in hearing more,” he finally said, and he caught a glitter of happiness in Abed’s eye as soon as he did.

“There’s this device, that I would put on you…” Abed pointed down, below the table. Troy blinked a few times when he realized what that meant. “And you wouldn’t be able to get hard or come until I take it off. There’s a lock and key involved.”

“I wouldn’t be able to get hard?” Troy’s eyes widened, and his voice cracked a little.

Abed paused. “…Kind of?” That didn’t seem to reassure Troy, so he continued. “You’d definitely still be trying to, it just wouldn’t be able to go very far.” To demonstrate, he enclosed a hand over his fist, and attempted to open the fist. “See?”

“Yeah, I see.” Troy leaned back in his chair, letting out a deep breath. “Wow. I’m… gonna have to think about that. I’ll let you know in a couple days. Cool?”

“Cool cool cool,” Abed responded, perfectly on-cue.

* * *

Two days later, Troy waited in their car in the Greendale parking lot. Abed’s film classes usually ran late, though Troy suspected it was because Abed himself liked to ask so many questions.

After humming a few songs, he spotted Abed, running to the car at near-unbelievable speeds. Half-man, half-cheetah. He wasn’t even panting or sweating when he got into the passenger seat.

“Hey,” he said.

Troy looked at him. “I’ll do it,” he replied.

Abed didn’t ask for clarification. He didn’t need it. “We’ll start tomorrow morning,” he told Troy. “Be up early.”

“Got it.” He started the car, tapping the steering wheel in nervous excitement as he drove.

* * *

He forgot to wake up early, but it didn’t even matter, because Abed slept a bunk above him and just woke him up when it was time. Another awesome advantage of living together- he was _so_ glad Abed had come around to the idea.

They had eaten breakfast, gotten dressed and ready for the day, and then Abed took his hand and brought him back to their bedroom, reaching into a drawer to bring out an unfamiliar object.

“Here.” He passed it to Troy. “Take a look.”

It wasn’t meant to be an order, but given the context, Troy couldn’t help but blush. That particular situation only got worse as he inspected the device, its metal bars curved into a shape he knew all too well. He handed it back to Abed, who, in the meantime, had produced a small padlock and key from the same drawer.

“Over here. Pants down.” Those were _definitely_ meant to be orders, and Troy rushed to comply. Abed knelt down, nimble fingers working the cage open. When Troy shivered, Abed placed a hand on his thigh to steady him, then returned to his work.

He took his time putting the cage on, taking as much care as possible to ensure everything went smoothly. Once he was certain that everything fit correctly, nothing was being squeezed or pinched where it shouldn’t have, and Troy wasn’t having any sudden second thoughts, he closed it and slid the padlock through the metal loops that held it shut. With a press and a satisfying click, it was locked, and only the key in Abed’s hand could change that.

“How is it?” He had already checked for any possible problem, but he still asked, knowing it was possible to overlook or misinterpret signs of regret.

Troy slowly looked down, taking in the sight of his own caged cock. “It’s… cold,” was his verdict. “Can I touch it?”

“Sure,” Abed agreed. “But you have to stop if I tell you to.”

“Of course.” Somehow, following Abed’s orders came even more naturally when he was literally holding the key to Troy’s cock. It was kind of awesome. He took a gentle hold of himself, examining how the cage fit on him. From where he stood, it looked perfect- there was a little breathing room, and nothing more. He didn’t know where or when Abed had got it, but Troy wouldn’t have been surprised if it had literally been made for him.

He glanced over the rest of it, and caught sight of the padlock. “Awww, it’s shaped like a heart.” That was unexpectedly adorable.

“I thought you’d like it.” Abed smiled, then reverted to his regular expression- no, it wasn’t quite the same. There was a distinct businesslike edge to it that wasn’t usually there. “Okay, that’s enough. Pants back on.”

Back on? Troy had thought they were going to have sex. Still, he obeyed, glad that he hadn’t chosen tight pants or underwear that day.

“Troy, I found a movie for us to watch,” Abed told him, as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened at all. “So universally despised that IMDb had to give it their first ever negative star rating.”

Troy grinned. “That sounds _incredible._ I’ll make popcorn.”

* * *

The movie was as awful as promised, and Troy and Abed delighted in throwing popcorn at the screen and joking at the characters’ expense. When it ended, they got more snacks and movies, and settled in for a day of lazy entertainment.

It was just like any other, except for whenever Troy moved in a way that reminded him of the cage he was wearing. Every time he remembered it, his expression would change, and if Abed happened to notice, he would smile and open his hand just enough for Troy to glimpse a flash of the key. It always made him a little dizzy to remember just how much control Abed had over him, not just physically but mentally.

Besides that, a completely normal day.

With only quick and occasional breaks, they kept it up for the entire morning and afternoon, devouring movie after movie. Some were bad, some were good, but they all had one thing in common- they were light entertainment, engaging enough in the moment but easily forgettable afterwards.

Troy didn’t know why, until Abed called his name and pointed downwards. Immediately understanding, he got up from his own chair and took his place on Abed’s lap. As soon as he was close enough, Abed kissed him, and that was the last time Troy thought about the TV screen for a while.

The transition from kissing to making out was quick and smooth, Troy leaning down so Abed could grab and move him in any way he wanted. Abed kept his mouth slightly open, and would take any chance he could to gently press the points of his teeth against Troy’s lips. With that, and the intense looks they shared whenever either of them pulled away to take a breath, it didn’t take Troy long to feel like he was melting.

He grasped at Abed’s shoulders, their mouths sliding together- and he felt something else, something strange. He saw nothing unusual when he looked down, but that was still enough to know what it was.

The cage was doing its job. Troy was aroused, there was no denying that, but his cock couldn’t move from the position it was held in. That wasn’t for lack of trying- with every second that passed, it pushed against the bars, producing the odd sensation that he had noticed.

He squirmed a bit. It didn’t change anything, except for moving him onto Abed’s groin. He felt almost fully hard- was that where Troy would have been, without the cage? It certainly felt that way.

Abed showed no signs of slowing down, and Troy was more than happy to match his pace. They held each other close, tongues pressing against each other in an unvoiced desperation to get even closer. Did any kind of closeness exist that they didn’t already have? Maybe they wanted something that didn’t exist, though Troy couldn’t imagine what that was, and wasn’t anywhere near the right mindset to try.

Soon after, he felt an especially strong pulse in his cock, discomfort shooting up his spine when the cage restrained it.

His brief hope that it would only happen once dissipated when he felt it again seconds later, forcing a soft and muffled groan from his mouth (and into Abed’s). It wasn’t quite painful, but it was impossible to ignore, and his ability to maintain their makeout session suffered accordingly.

Right as Troy was resolving to keep going no matter what, Abed stopped kissing him, leaning just out of reach. “That’s enough,” he commented, voice soft and unruffled even as his wide-blown pupils and ragged breathing suggested the opposite. “We’ve got more movies to see.”

Despite his troubles, Troy couldn’t hold back a whine. He was starting to realize exactly what kind of situation Abed had put him in- if they stopped kissing now, he would be left needy and unsatisfied, without any way to come. But if they kept going, the cage would make sure he was uncomfortable the whole time, and he _still_ wouldn’t get to come. Thoroughly defeated, he moved to slink off Abed’s lap and back to his own chair.

Abed pulled him back in for one more kiss- a gentle, chaste one. “We can stop,” he quietly informed Troy. “Just say the word and I’ll take it off.”

Troy took a deep breath, then another. He looked right at Abed, shook his head, and returned to his chair.

* * *

The next movie was a long one, and significantly slower-paced than anything they had watched that day. If Troy had ever had any doubt that Abed was choosing the movies strategically, he would have lost it at that point.

After all, it was exactly what he needed to calm himself. Nursing a big bowl of Cheetos on his lap to keep himself from even seeing his crotch, he let the movie pull his focus away. When his cock stopped trying to actively escape its confines, it was several minutes before he even noticed.

When he did notice, he let out a sigh of relief. Of course, that was exactly when Abed chose to show him the key again, and he would have to wait another ten minutes to calm down from _that._

But somehow, he did manage to stay calm, and even enjoy the movie. “Another?” he asked after it ended, gesturing at the screen and his still-half-full bowl.

Abed looked at him, tilting his head to deliberately mimic the appearance of someone deep in thought. “Sure. But first, come over here.”

Troy gulped, but obeyed without question. When he moved to get back on Abed’s lap, he was stopped by gentle hands on his shoulders. “On your knees,” Abed told him, spreading his legs just wide enough for Troy to fit in between.

Visibly relieved, he unzipped his jeans and pulled out his erection. Troy’s eyes grew wide when he saw it- not because it was anything new to him, but because for Abed to still be hard after so long, he couldn’t have been paying much attention to the movie. He wouldn’t have even thought that was possible, if not for the evidence staring him in the face.

“Suck,” Abed commanded, gently pushing the tip against Troy’s lips until his mouth opened to take it in. Troy didn’t stop there- opening wider, he took the rest of it too, licking at whatever he could reach as it slid into his throat.

After a moment to adjust, he got to work, gently rocking back and forth. He could feel the slide of the inside of his throat against Abed’s cock, which was pretty amazing even when moving even a little too fast threatened to choke him. Briefly looking up, Troy saw Abed’s eyes squeezed almost-closed, and his hands gripping the arms of his chair- telltale signs that he was doing something right.

It was only a matter of time before it happened again, and he knew it. With his mouth full and stretched wide, his knees half-numb on the floor, and his eyes taking in the sight of Abed thoroughly enjoying himself, the rest of his body was bound to take notice. He almost fell over when he felt his cock throbbing again, protesting even more insistently against the cage than before.

Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not, but that was the moment that Abed started to thrust forward, fucking Troy’s throat in motions that were barely restrained enough to keep from cutting off his air supply. He hadn’t taken long to get to that point, but considering that he had waited through the entire movie, it was impressive that it had taken any time at all.

Troy had to concentrate to avoid choking, and that was getting more difficult as his cock tried desperately to get hard. The cage’s breathing space was long gone, consumed by the tiny amount his cock _had_ been able to expand, and it pushed at the bars so hard that Troy almost started to fear that they would break. Of course, they didn’t even budge, and the padlock stayed similarly strong. The only hope of release was still clutched tightly in one of Abed’s hands, though from his angle, he couldn’t see which one.

It was a miracle that he could concentrate on giving a blowjob at all, but ever since meeting Abed, miracles had become a normal occurrence. Whenever he felt particularly shaky, he raised two fingers- their “slow down” signal. Abed always complied, just as Troy trusted him to, and never sped back up until Troy signalled it was okay with three fingers.

Fantasies of ripping the cage off with his bare hands were starting to creep into his mind when he finally felt Abed seize up and release down his throat, breathing heavily above him. Troy couldn’t help but feel a warm glow of pride- it would have been easy to stop and demand the cage’s removal, and Abed definitely wouldn’t hold it against him. But he hadn’t given up, temporarily putting aside his own pleasure for the man he loved.

Of course, Abed recognized that too. As soon as his brain was working again, he delicately pulled his cock from Troy’s mouth, and leaned down to kiss him- it didn’t seem to bother him at all that Troy was still drooling a bit. “That was amazing,” he whispered, giving him one more peck on the lips. “What do you think? You’ve earned getting unlocked, haven’t you?”

From between two fingers, he produced the key, sliding down to kneel in front of Troy. Troy heard a strangled noise of excitement, which logically had to have come from himself, but he felt too detached from his own body to really perceive it that way. He was somewhere between the floor and the stratosphere, and only rising from there.

He had to collect himself to be able to respond. “Yeah,” he whimpered, the cage feeling even tighter on him as he begged. “Please, Abed, I wanna be unlocked. I’ve been good, right?”

“You have. And I’m definitely going to unlock you.” He reached down Troy’s pants and gently cupped his cock with one hand, key grasped in the other. Troy squeaked, ready for relief to come at any second…

Then Abed’s hand made a fist, fingers closing over the key and hiding it from sight. “After one more movie. And dinner, we shouldn’t skip that.”

Troy just stared for a moment, then burst into tears.

* * *

After some soothing hugs and kisses, and reassuring Abed that he hadn’t pushed him too far, Troy finally felt ready to stand up.

He wobbled a bit, feeling lightheaded- not surprising, considering that most of the blood in his body was too busy trying to get into his groin. With Abed’s hands on his shoulders to keep him upright, he stumbled into the apartment’s kitchen.

Thankfully, Abed didn’t expect him to cook anything- in this state, he didn’t trust himself not to set anything on fire. Abed led him to a corner of the room, the one furthest away from the stove, and guided Troy’s arms behind his back. “Don’t touch anything,” he instructed, making the meaning of _anything_ clear with a prolonged look at Troy’s overstuffed cage. (It probably _felt_ more overstuffed than it actually was, but the feeling of it fitting perfectly and comfortably was a distant memory.)

Of course, that was the day Abed decided to actually cook something, rather than just microwaving buttered noodles. From where he stood, Troy could see meat, rice, and vegetables, all cooking in various pots and pans. It smelled delicious, which didn’t bother him as much as it usually would, since being hungry was an extremely mild form of desire compared to what he was already going through.

Whenever there was any time for him to do so, Abed would cross the kitchen to check on Troy, kissing all over his face and whispering encouragement. If it looked like Troy’s excitement was starting to wane, he would also reach down to softly squeeze his cock through his pants, smiling when he felt it pulse back to life, and heard Troy gasp in his ear.

Troy didn’t know how long he waited there, hands obediently clasped behind his back. He only knew that it did end eventually, with Abed taking hold of his shoulders again and bringing him to sit at the dining table. His favourite Spider-Man plate was waiting there for him, loaded with food. It looked amazing, especially after eating chips and popcorn all day.

Before starting on his own plate, Abed placed the key in the middle of the table. Troy wondered if he was going to do something with it, but he only started eating, leaving it sitting there.

Troy started eating too, attention still focused on the key. Abed wasn’t even looking at it. He could easily grab it and unlock himself before Abed could even react… right? Or was he only pretending not to pay attention, prepared to catch and punish Troy the instant he made a move?

With all his strength, he managed to eat without any major spills, or doing anything embarrassing like moaning at the table. Abed gave him a small, innocent smile. “Is it good?” he asked, pointing at the food with his fork.

“ _So_ good,” Troy answered, mouth still half-full. It almost made up for the hours of frustration, and whatever mind game Abed was pulling with the key. _Almost,_ he thought, as he tried not to squirm in his chair. After all, he knew it wouldn’t even help.

Not much more was said for the rest of their dinner, Abed finishing before Troy and waiting for him. Once he did take the last bite of food onto his fork, Abed took both their plates back to the kitchen, leaving Troy alone with the key.

There really was no way Abed could stop him from unlocking himself. But all Troy did was sit there, staring at the little silver key as if it could explode at any moment. No matter how hard he tried, how hard his cock begged for freedom, he couldn’t even visualize himself using it. When Abed came back, with a fresh bowl of popcorn for each of them, he still hadn’t moved an inch.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, the tension between them palpable. Then, Abed looked past him, to the living room. “Come on. I saved the best movie for last.”

Without even thinking, Troy stood up at the command, ready to follow. “Oh yeah,” Abed continued. “Almost forgot the key. Could you pass it over here?”

A question, not an order. That had to be deliberate. Troy picked up the key, stopping to just look at it for another moment.

Why did Abed keep tempting him? Surely he knew that if Troy was actually going to unlock the cage, he would have already done it. As he handed over the key, cheeks burning, he knew- Abed was proving a point, and proving it very well. Not only did he enjoy submitting to Abed, he couldn’t _keep_ himself from doing it, no matter how much frustration it caused him.

Abed thanked him for the key, gave him a bowl of popcorn, and held his hand as they walked back to the living room.

* * *

Troy had barely sat down when Abed shook his head, gesturing for him to get back up. He complied, though he gave Abed an unimpressed look, wanting an immediate explanation.

“Clothes off,” he said, pointing to Troy’s shirt, then pants. “All of them.”

He didn’t have to say _that_ twice. Daring to believe that he might have actually earned an early release, Troy shed his clothes in seconds, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Naked, he presented himself to Abed, anticipation building.

Abed looked him over, and nodded. “That’s better. Sit down.”

That time, Troy was shocked enough not to immediately obey. “Uh, excuse me? Then what was the point of this?” He gestured to himself, hands flourishing in a way that expressed just how much of an emotional rollercoaster this whole thing was becoming.

“You looked hot. I thought you should take some time to cool down.” Abed shrugged, sitting in his own chair and picking up the remote. “Now, be quiet. We’re watching this.”

He _did_ feel cooler without his clothes. But that also meant there was nothing shielding the cage- from his own eyes, or from the apartment’s air, which seemed to have a slight breeze coming from one of the windows. He was more aware of his predicament than ever, and this time, it didn’t seem to be getting any easier to handle.

“Pay attention.” For Troy, who had been staring at the cage for what he thought had only been a moment, Abed’s voice seemed to come from nowhere. He jumped, guiltily looking up at Abed, who just pointed at the screen without even looking back.

He tried. He really did. It was just impossible to follow any of it in the situation Abed had put him in. He had to be reprimanded several more times, each one only lasting a few minutes before his attention inevitably fell downwards.

At least he had one thing working in his favor. Even if every passing second was agonizing, they still passed, and the movie reached a conclusion followed by credits. As they rolled across the screen, Abed finally turned to Troy, properly acknowledging him for the first time since the movie started. “Did you like it?”

“Uhhh.” Troy swallowed, and tried to remember how to form words. “Yes?”

“Really?” Abed’s gaze swept over him. Troy might have said Abed was undressing him with his eyes, if he had been wearing any clothes to begin with. “What was your favourite part?”

That should have been easy, but no matter how hard Troy thought, he couldn’t recall a single thing about what he had just watched. Maybe he could have guessed, but he just shrugged, offering Abed a mildly guilty look.

“Oh. Disappointing,” Abed said, not looking particularly disappointed. “I did see you looking at _that_ a lot.” He pointed to the cage. “I know I said I’d take it off, but if you like it so much… we could leave it on for another day. I wouldn’t mind, I don’t have plans.”

Troy was already semi-coherently begging for mercy, tears forming at the corners of his eyes, when Abed let out a single loud laugh. “I’m not doing that. Remember when we changed the agreement? We can mess with each other, just not that often, and we have to tell the truth right away. Come here, I’ll take it off right now.”

Still crying a bit, Troy nodded and went to stand in front of Abed’s chair. Abed pulled him onto his lap again, positioning him perfectly so he could reach the padlock.

With a twist of the key, the lock fell open, and Abed pulled it free. With that gone, the only thing left to do was to remove the cage.

As soon as he did, Troy gasped, entire body shaking with relief. Finally unobstructed, blood rushed into his cock, leaving him hard and desperate before he even thought about touching himself.

Of course, he still wasn’t free to do that. It was Abed’s hand that reached up to stroke him, the touch of his long fingers somehow both soothing and maddening. Impatient, Troy pushed against his palm for more friction, only just barely maintaining enough dignity not to whine.

Though his sense of time was beyond screwed, it couldn’t have taken more than a minute for Abed to bring Troy to the edge. This time, he did nothing to keep Troy from coming, simply sitting back and enjoying the show as an entire day of denied pleasure burst forth all at once.

As Troy writhed and yelled, Abed slowed down his strokes, only stopping completely when he fell silent.

Troy looked absolutely _wrecked._ His hair was a mess, he could barely keep his eyes open, his limbs were weak and floppy, most of his body shone with sweat, and a tiny trickle of cum still dripped from his spent cock. The only part of him that didn’t match was his smile. It was absolutely incandescent, curved lips and sleepy eyes full of all the love they could hold.

Trying not to disturb Troy, Abed reached for the box of tissues on the table. Usually they were for sad movies, but they were perfectly good for cleaning both of them up.

At the touch of the tissue, Troy’s eyes opened a little more, probably only to know what was going on. Abed reassured him with a kiss to the forehead. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s over now. You were perfect.”

“‘Kay,” Troy muttered back, eyes sliding closed. It didn’t look like he was going to get up anytime soon- of course, that wasn’t a problem for Abed. Getting his arms underneath Troy, he carefully lifted him up, carrying him to their bedroom.

Not liking the odds of being able to get him into pajamas, he just laid Troy down as he was, covering him with warm blankets. He was halfway up the ladder to his own bunk when Troy stirred, and called out.

“Abed?”

“Yeah?”

There was a second of bashful silence, then an even quieter voice. “Would you come down here?”

“Sure.” When he returned to Troy’s bedside, Troy had pulled up one side of the blanket, and was reaching for him. Understanding immediately, Abed got into the bed, cuddling close.

Troy made a satisfied hum when Abed’s arms wrapped around him. “Abed… that was crazy. I had no idea it was gonna be like that.”

“Oh. Did you like it?” He hugged Troy even closer, just in case the answer was no. A nice hug wasn’t always enough to redeem a shitty day, but it helped.

“I _loved_ it.” Abed still didn’t stop hugging him. A nice hug could also make a great day even better.

“Enough to do it again sometime?”

It wasn’t a serious question. Abed would ask him again later, once he had some time to rest and think. But they had to talk for a little longer for it to feel like a satisfying pre-sleep conversation, and he was curious about Troy’s initial impression.

Apparently, that impression was worthy of being conveyed by another full smile. “Yeah. Absolutely.”

“Cool. Goodnight, Troy.”

“Goodnight, Abed.” Troy yawned once, then quietly fell asleep, a smile still on his face.

He wasn’t the only one.


End file.
